HowardForums is a discussion board dedicated to mobile phones with over 1,000,000 members and growing!

For your convenience HowardForums is divided into 7 main sections; marketplace, phone manufacturers, carriers, smartphones/PDAs, general phone discussion, buy sell trade and general discussions. Just scroll down to see them!

Only registered members may post questions, contact other members or search our database of over 8 million posts. Why don't you join us today!

In this unfortunate era of fake news I've made it a daily habit to visit Snopes. In a more innocent time one might go there to fact-check an urban myth; these days the site's scope has expanded to include other types of misinformation, like misleading tweets from members of Congress.

So, first of all, as a member of the European Union, Portugal enjoys net neutrality protections set by the EU regulator BEREC. What we're actually looking at in this MEO screen shot is a selection of zero-rated data bundles—apps and services that, for an additional fee, won't be subject to the user's monthly data cap. The idea, if not the execution, is similar to T-Mobile's Binge On.

In the EU, as in Canada, zero-rated data offerings come under scrutiny if they are suspected of disadvantaging similar services. For example, Bell Canada's mobile TV offering was disallowed by our CRTC because it was not subject to data caps, and was therefore anti-competitive against other video services, like Netflix and YouTube, that were.

It's difficult to pitch zero-rated data as a net neutrality issue because everybody wants free stuff—or, in the case of MEO subscribers, unlimited access to the services they use most. But don't be fooled by tweets; Portugal does have a zero-rated data problem, but also strong net neutrality protections.

Last spring I wrote about how the Netflix app wouldn't run on rooted Android hardware. That unfortunate fact led me to investigate Magisk; its "root hide" and SafetyNet bypass features enables Android modders to enjoy not only Netflix but Pokémon GO and Android Pay as well.

Over the weekend, however, another issue with Netflix for Android has surfaced: according to XDA some high-powered devices, like the OnePlus 5T and ZTE Axon M, are unable to stream Netflix video in HD.

The reason for this has to do with the logo at the top of this post. Widevine is one of the oldest and most-used DRM solutions for digital content. It's widely used for video games, Blu-Ray systems, Amazon Prime Video and—you guessed it—Netflix. There are actually different certification levels for Widevine-protected content; only Level 1 certification will permit playback of content in HD and above. Google's Pixels and Samsung Galaxy class flagships have L1 certification; OnePlus is currently only certified at Level 3.

Oh, and did I mention that Google acquired Widevine in 2010?

Blame for this mess can be thrown in all directions, Google, Netflix, OnePlus... But it might be easier to just agree that DRM in general is terrible for users. Net neutrality is not the only threat to an open Internet; DRM-encumbered services are another means by which the Internet of tomorrow might end up looking much more like the cable television of today.

Amazon.ca continues to bolster its first party hardware portfolio with two new tablets—new for Canada, at least. At present it looks like they'll only be available for purchase individually, rather than those crazy six-packs that were selling to Americans a few years back.

I had always thought that Amazon's affordable tablets would be perfect for the novice Android modder—with an unlocked bootloader and root access you could kill the Amazon bloat and be left with a mean and lean F-Droid machine. But the XDA forums for these devices leads me to believe that rooting them is only possible on older versions of their OS. Would any Android hackers care to weigh in on whether or not the extra hassle would be worth it?

If you were planning a visit to your local Verizon outlet today, there's something you should know: "Team Internet", a coalition of the activist groups Demand Progress, Fight for the Future and Free Press, is planning a national day of action at Verizon stores around the country. Participants will be protesting the FCC's planned repeal of net neutrality protections in the United States.

On November 21st FCC Chief Ajit Pai formally revealed plans to reverse the commission's 2015 net neutrality order, more specifically the Title II protections for broadband and mobile Internet traffic. The worry is that without Title II there will be nothing to stop Internet service providers from prioritizing, for example, their own video streaming services over Netflix or YouTube. Pai, on the other hand, claims that Title II has stifled innovation and investment in network infrastructure.

The FCC will vote on Pai's plan on December 14th; the repeal is expected to go through with commissioners voting 3 for and 2 against, along party lines. What today's protests are expected to accomplish beyond raising awareness is unclear. Depending on where you stand on this issue it could be either a minor annoyance or something you'll very much want to be a part of.

TechCrunch reports that a software update has brought over 60 new apps and watchfaces to Fitbit's first proper smartwatch, the Ionic. I can't for the life of me find a definitive listing anywhere—whereas, for example, the Pebble App and Watchface store can still be perused online from any desktop computer, Fitbit offers no such convenience.

If you're the unlucky owner of a bricked BLU Life One X2, help is finally on the way.

For those unfamiliar with the story, this affordable dual SIM Android smartphone was crippled by a November 28th software update that applied itself on devices with an unknown password. Making matters worse was the radio silence from BLU. The good news is that now, almost a week later, a software fix has been made available.

Though perhaps not directly related to mobile this is nonetheless pretty big news for tech enthusiasts in Canada. TechSpot reports that Netlink Computers, Inc., more commonly known as NCIX, has officially declared itself bankrupt to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

I'm not sure how much of a household name NCIX would be for our American friends, but in Canada they've been a popular source for PC parts and other electronics, including unlocked smartphones. In 2011 yours truly ordered a custom-built PC from their Scarborough location (the one pictured above) and it was a thing of beauty—the technician who assembled it did a much better job with the cabling and such than I ever could.

NCIX was also directly responsible for launching the YouTube career of Linus Sebastian, who did product demos for the retailer before starting the Linus Tech Tips channel with fellow NCIX employee Luke Lafreniere.

Curiously, the online storefront looks like it's still accepting orders; currently the only place on the site where you can read about the bankruptcy is their user forums. If anyone reading this has an open order with NCIX my advice would be to file a chargeback with your credit card company ASAP.

To see what its camera setup could do I took the OnePlus 5T with me on a walk through downtown Toronto's Graffiti Alley. It was maybe an hour after high noon and the sun, though weak, was fairly direct.

All of the photos here are straight from the phone; the only editing I've done is to scale each of them to 1200 x 900 pixels for faster loading.

This first shot seems just about perfect, with nicely saturated but still accurate colours. Even light seems to be the 5T's friend.

This one didn't turn out quite as well. The shaded wall is correctly exposed but the sky on the left is clearly blown out.

This face forced the OnePlus 5's camera into portrait mode and the fake bokeh effects that come with it. The 5T did much better.

Taken in direct sunlight... the blue bin here looks good but the colours on the wall seem washed out.

This one looks better. And I have to say that I'm impressed by the detail in the shadows on the ground. Maybe that second low light lens wasn't such a half-baked idea after all!

Another light/shadow test. I think the 5T handled this very well, whereas the phone before it wouldn't have.

There's honestly not much more to show you than this big expansive screen.

I totally get the point of 2017's war on bezels now—you get a much more immersive experience in a body that's about the same size as the phone you were using before. On this device there can sometimes be a reachability issue with the taller 2:1 display, but OnePlus has included some thoughtful touches to help with that. You can program a shortcut for any of the navigation buttons (ie. a double tap or long press) to show the notification panel at the top of the screen; the same action can be assigned to a swipe down gesture across the fingerprint sensor on the back, just like a Pixel.

For the record, I prefer a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor as it lets you unlock your phone as you're pulling it out of a pocket or bag. And where OnePlus put the sensor is perfect: dead centre, one third of the way down the phone and nowhere near the camera assembly.

You'd expect the screen's extra pixels to have an adverse effect on battery life, especially when its the same 3,300mAh cell as the one in the OnePlus 5. But if there is a difference I've yet to notice it; it has consistently given me a day and a half or more with medium to heavy use.

It's been an interesting ride for yours truly with OnePlus this year... After a great experience with the OnePlus 3 I was expecting the 5 to be no different, but quality control issues on the hardware I received ended up giving me my first experience with the company's "no-hassle" return policy. But I ended up with another OnePlus 5, given to me by my girlfriend's sister as we passed through Hong Kong in September. My big justification for buying the 5T was actually Freedom Mobile; because both the 5 and 5T support Band 66 the girlfriend and I can now give FM's 4G service an extended test, in the second SIM slots of our OnePlus phones.

Once you go dual-SIM there's no going back.

I was, by the way, able to root my 5T as soon as I got it. There isn't yet an official version of the TWRP custom recovery, but there's an unofficial version on XDA that did the trick. Android Nougat is actually a blessing on this phone, as Magisk and AdAway are fully supported out of the box.

My one big concern with this phone is its cameras. Not content to keep the portrait lens from the 5, OnePlus has instead decided to pursue low light performance; the second lens now has a wider aperture but the same focal length. It sounds to me very much like unfinished business, a stopgap solution for something that couldn't be finished in time or delivered on budget. I'll post some camera samples tomorrow.

In just about every other respect, though, this is a fantastic Android phone. And in this dawning age of ultra-premium flagships it's an undeniable bargain.

Looks like my initial impression of these things was a bit premature; my BOSE SoundSport Free Bluetooth earbuds are going back to Amazon as soon as I can find a box that will fit them. I'll detail the issues I had and you can decide for yourself if they have any merit.

First, a reminder of the good stuff: I found the earbuds to be incredibly comfortable and liberating, as there's no pesky cable running between them. The sound—for Bluetooth—was fantastic, and after finally getting around to piping some music through them I can say that there's certainly no lack of bass. Battery life was as advertised, and the charging case convenient.

The deal-breaker for me turned out to be an intermittent connection issue, exacerbated by the lack of a pesky cable connecting the buds. There always seems to be one or two hiccups that occur over the course of an hour-long walk, but when it happens it's maddening—sound will cut out for a moment on one side only, and when it comes back it will take another second or two to sync back up with the other side. You just wouldn't have this problem with earbuds connected by a cable, or "neckbuds" as I've heard them called. They're not as truly wireless as two separate units, but you'll never have to worry about out of phase audio, either.

Another, more minor, issue is the approaching Canadian winter: the extra room required for their batteries and radios make the earbuds stick out and hard to wear with a hat. To be entirely fair, neckbuds will almost certainly present the same problem. The solution? A pair of svelte, olde-timey cabled earbuds. The only special equipment required is a headphone jack on your phone.